Teacher Charged With Choking 1st Graders

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A Washington-area teacher has been charged with choking and hitting students during the school day.

Greencastle Elementary School teacher Susan Burke was charged Tuesday with nine counts of second-degree assault. Nine of the 6- and 7-year-old students in her class reported that Burke choked them. Some said she kicked, punched, or scratched or tightly squeezed their arms.

Kendra Tyler, the mother of two Greencastle students, said she was shocked by the news.

Sharon Durham says her 7-year-old son told her Burke had choked him while he was standing in line. She says she asked Burke about the incident, but the teacher didn’t seem to know what she was talking about.

Burke was released on bail Wednesday, but no one answered at a phone listing for her. It is not clear if she has an attorney.

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